The White Lotus (2021- HBO)

[Huntn]

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Season 1 is short, 6 episodes. I spent the entire season waiting for something to happen which is revealed in episode 1, the first scene at the airport after it’s all over. How I was manipulated! 😉 The story is a flashback of the previous week at a resort in Hawaii.

Spoiler: Plot spoiler

I assumed as I imagine everyone did, that the person who had died was not who I expected it to be... 😀

It is listed as a comedy-drama. I would remove “comedy”, S1 struck me as a drama, with some humorous aspects and tragedy. I would describe the story, having not seen the second season, as a character interaction, group psychological study for anyone who is thinking about watching. It is focused on 2 families, and a woman “on vacation” to spread her mother’s ashes. As the saying goes, they are all well to do. Then there is the hotel manager trying to stay on the wagon, while pleasing his guests, one in particular a royal pain in his ass.

Nothing spectacular happens, it can legitimately be described as slow, until the end, and then it ends. 🙂 So IMO to like this, you have to become vested in the characters, their relationships, their approach and observations based on their positions in life, fortunes or misfortunes, privilege or lack there of. The writing is excellent, and although this is not normally what I would watch, I kept going because it was interesting enough, and I was waiting for the hook revealed in Episode 1.

We will be watching Season 2. 🙂

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

I can strongly recommend Season 2. The Season 2 finale wraps things up nicely. I'm looking forward to Season 3.

 

[myscrnnm]

I think people need to be able to see the humor in things. If anything, I feel that the series leans slightly more comedy than drama. Also one thing I never noticed until it was pointed out on Twitter, the images in the opening credits against the backdrop of the principal cast represent their characters.

 

[phazedout]

The series definitely leans way into comedy. People generally think of comedy as laugh out loud, but there's a lot of subtle jokes, humor, and wit in the series. Especially in season 2 from fan favorite Jennifer Coolidge.

It's a character driven show.

 

[Huntn]

The series definitely leans way into comedy. People generally think of comedy as laugh out loud, but there's a lot of subtle jokes, humor, and wit in the series. Especially in season 2 from fan favorite Jennifer Coolidge.

It's a character driven show.

I’m 3 episodes into Season 2. I think I’m assimilated. 🙂 There are definitely humorous elements, including me laughing, but as good as it is, I refuse to call this a comedy, ok, maybe it’s a SSC (subtle, sophisticated comedy) if you can overlook the tragedy. 🙂

This might be the best role I remember F. Murray Abrams in. Jennifer Coolidge is so annoying, a hoot. Aubrey Plaza seeing her in other roles is so versatile.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

I think F. Murray Abrams' best role was in Amadeus. Such a good movie.

 

[myscrnnm]

I’m 3 episodes into Season 2. I think I’m assimilated. 🙂 There are definitely humorous elements, including me laughing, but as good as it is, I refuse to call this a comedy, ok, maybe it’s a SSC (subtle, sophisticated comedy) if you can overlook the tragedy. 🙂

This might be the best role I remember F. Murray Abrams in. Jennifer Coolidge is so annoying, a hoot. Aubrey Plaza seeing her in other roles is so versatile.

Tanya was unbearable in my opinion in season one. But I think partway through season two she becomes much more of a sympathetic character.

I think F. Murray Abrams' best role was in Amadeus. Such a good movie.

My favorite role of his has to be Omar Suarez.

 

[Huntn]

Tanya was unbearable in my opinion in season one. But I think partway through season two she becomes much more of a sympathetic character.

My favorite role of his has to be Omar Suarez.

I agree whole heartedly about Tanya! 🙂

Just finished Season 2 and loved it. For this type of story, a drama, with infrequent humorous elements, the writing is as good as it gets IMO. It was because I was vested in the characters, in some ways a similar feeling to a good soap opera, I wanted to see what happens next.

In both seasons, it starts with a body (or more) and then it rolls back a week and the audience at least me, spends the entire story contemplating on who is it that ends up dead. In both cases I was surprised, but in the second season, I had no clue at the start, but as the story develops I got a better idea, but the end still surprised me. 😀

 

[Huntn]

Season 2 Plot Spoiler- “trust” and infidelity, do what you have to do to survive

Besides the plot elephant in the story which I’ll avoid talking about, I found that the Season 2 dynamic between “trust” and infidelity between this couple, Harper and Ethan was intriguing the way it was presented to the audience with a basis for truth in human psychology at least for some people. In this case the solution, provided by the other couple’s wife Daphne who knows her husband (Cameron) cheats, (it’s possible she cheats to) says to Ethan ”do what you have to do to survive”.

This is presented in a clever way, the audience sees what goes on with the husbands when their wives go off by themselves for a 24 hr period to shop in a nearby town, but most of the rest is left to conjecture.

Spoiler: Plot Details

Cameron cheats with 2 hookers in Ethan’s room, but Ethan resists the temptation. However, when the girls return from shopping, Harper finds a condom wrapper on the couch, asks Ethan a bunch of times what happened, Ethan lies and says nothing happened, and when the wrapper is produced, he relents and gives up Cameron, but insists he did not engage, which is true. However, Harper does not believe him and is in a foul mood.

Then when there is an opportunity for Harper to “get even” she hangs out with Cameron, they go up to their adjoining rooms, Ethan gets suspicious, goes up to find the door of his room bolted, pounds on the door until it is opened by Harper. Ethan finds the door to the adjoining room ajar. Suspecting her, he presses, she says nothing happened, but finally admits that Cameron had kissed her. Now Ethan is pissed as he imagines they had more time than for just a kiss, and he fumes, especially when Harper, no longer glum, is now acting happy.

Daphne alone with Ethan on the beach sees he is troubled, asks, and after Ethan tells her, she drops the line “do what you have to do to survive”, and then suggests they go check out an island together. We don’t see what happens on the island, but Ethan is happy after they return. So the audience is left to imagine exactly what happened there. 🙂

The psychological dynamic portrayed is the suspicion of being cheated on, being unhappy, but after “getting even” by engaging in your own dalliance, you can get beyond your what-if suspicions about your partner. 🙂

 

[rhett7660]

We loved both seasons of this show... I agree with you @Huntn, it is a soap opera... through and through. There are definitely some WTF scenes or I can't believe they showed that in the show, especially in season one. Can't wait for season three. I wonder if they are going to look at what our now widowed husband is doing!

 

[Huntn]

Season 3 just finished streaming, I should be dialing in soon. 😄

 

[Huntn]

Season 3 based in Thailand is pleasing, did not disappoint…me. 😁 The caveat is it’s not for everyone, not everyone will love this, but I’ll argue that if you’re into humanity, intriguing human interaction and drama, intertwined with excellent writing it’s worth a view. It’s brilliant with sadness, tragedy, human failings, strength, redemption, and a touch of Buddhism. The entire cast is outstanding. Side note: Ar-nold’s son (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is in this and does a good job. This season’s story has a direct connection to last season.

 

[TheIntruder]

How would WL fans rank the three seasons? Are S1 and S2 better? Just different?

I've only watched S3 in full, and debating whether to catch up with the first two.

 

[Huntn]

How would WL fans rank the three seasons? Are S1 and S2 better? Just different?

I've only watched S3 in full, and debating whether to catch up with the first two.

They are all different, but the same theme, human relationships, drama, and an extreme event. I would rank them all satisfying in their own ways. The key is being drawn to the characters, their emotions, conflict, decision making and if this kind of drama appeals to you, There is however a direct connection from season 2 to 3. I don’t remember if S1 and S2 are connected or completely independent.🤔

 

[rhett7660]

How would WL fans rank the three seasons? Are S1 and S2 better? Just different?

I've only watched S3 in full, and debating whether to catch up with the first two.

S1 and S2 are different, but still both very good. We just started S3, two episodes in.

S1 has some wild moments.

 

[Huntn]

We loved both seasons of this show... I agree with you @Huntn, it is a soap opera... through and through. There are definitely some WTF scenes or I can't believe they showed that in the show, especially in season one. Can't wait for season three. I wonder if they are going to look at what our now widowed husband is doing!

I thinking about your comment, the thing is real life is boring, or it would take too long to develop and keep the interest of the audience, or fit within the constraints of a television production, especially today with shortened seasons. The brilliance of the kind of writing seen in White Lotus is that events are compressed without feeling that way, or another way to put it, this kind of writing is an art form, that gleans the essence of human relationships and presents them in compact, yet a pleasing, intriquing, tense, satisfying form.

One sign of engagement for myself, is the low key relationship of Mook and Gaitok, employess at the White Lotus. She makes it clear she wants a partner with some ambitions in life. He is a mellow Buddhist who abhors violence and has empathy. It showed in how he chooses to respond to knowledge he gains about a robbery, and I was on the edge of my seat, when the gun he was entrusted with as part of his security guard position turns up missing due to his brief lapse in attention. For myself, it was tense, as I was rooting for this guy to succeed! 😁

Side note: I love Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs as the Alabama couple, but I’ll critique Isaac’s for his Southern accent wandering into an Aussie accent… 😛